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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813839">adrift, anchored</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouenkyou/pseuds/bouenkyou'>bouenkyou</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Haikyuu 372 spoilers, Introspection, M/M, Morning After</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:20:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouenkyou/pseuds/bouenkyou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Since the first night they saw each other at the beach, Shouyou latched onto him with such an unrestrained passion and Tooru—Tooru wasn’t one to take advantage of others, but he saw an opportunity to find himself again through a different set of eyes, and he took it. </i>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Haikyuu Rarepair Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>adrift, anchored</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamunamis/gifts">kamunamis</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Kei!! Thank you so much for helping us during the rarepair event, you're awesome! I wrote this little oihina for you... I'm a little nervous because it's my first time writing them, but I hope I did them justice and you like it nonetheless. </p><p>Thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantize">Tari</a> for beta-reading.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The soft rays of dawn filter through the cream-colored curtains in Tooru’s hotel room. Since high school, he’s had the habit of facing the window when he sleeps and he is used to getting up early because of it, so the light doesn’t bother him usually. The sun seems to be especially bright in South America, however—the clarity filling the room wakes him up aeons before his alarm goes off. It seems even brighter in Brazil compared to Argentina during this time of the year. </p><p>It’s strange thinking that somewhere in the world where he’s not anymore it’s now summer, where he’s supposed to be it’s winter, and where he currently <i>is</i> there’s a wacky in-between—many places are air-conditioned in Rio, but the humid heat outside feels even more stifling than the worst Japanese summer. Playing volleyball on the beach makes the heat more bearable because it’s fun, even if he ends up sweating buckets. </p><p>He shifts on the bed, in an attempt to get up, but the dark toned arm sneaking around his waist tenses, holding him in place. He chuckles softly and turns, facing Shouyou and brushing his lips against Shouyou’s temple. Shouyou moves closer, chasing Tooru’s lips to steal a kiss. It’s such a sweet gesture and Tooru wishes deep down he could be this open with his feelings. Shouyou’s eyes stay closed, but he’s not sleeping anymore, just holding him close. And it’s equally delightful and terrifying. He really needs to get up before this gets to the point where he wouldn’t want to let go, so he squeezes Shouyou’s arm to get him to loosen his hold. Shouyou whines softly and clears his throat, trying to dispel the sleepiness from his voice. “Where are you going?” </p><p>“Bathroom,” Tooru murmurs, humor evident in his tone. Shouyou pouts, but his arms sneak away, letting go. Tooru, now free, makes his way into the hotel’s tiny bathroom. After relieving himself, he brushes his teeth and takes his time inspecting his face in the mirror before going through his skincare routine—cleanser, toner, moisturizer. By the time he’s rubbing sunscreen on his face and neck, he’s sure at least 20 minutes have passed since he left the bed. He smiles when there’s a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” he says. </p><p>Shouyou opens the door, but doesn’t walk in, leaning his shoulder into the doorframe and observing Tooru.</p><p>That Hinata Shouyou is standing in black boxer briefs in the bathroom of his hotel room is just as uncanny as the fact that they slept together last night. Tooru isn’t one to dwell on these things, and it’s not like it’s his first time having a one night stand. The fact that it isn’t some nameless stranger, but an old acquaintance—friend? Something more?—makes the situation surreal, though, especially because Oikawa Tooru isn’t one to make a blunder like that. </p><p>Shouyou stares at Tooru intently, perhaps in an attempt to read what’s on his mind, but neither of them speaks until he’s closed the cap of the sunscreen bottle and put it away.  </p><p>“About last night...” Shouyou trails off awkwardly as he scratches his head. “It was really…” he falters, his eyebrows drawing together as he racks off his brain for the right words, but he lets out a frustrated huff when they fail him. “I just--I really had fun, you know?” </p><p>A smile threatens to come to Tooru’s lips, but he stops himself before it can fully take form and just nods. He walks past Shouyou out of the bathroom, his steps taking him to the window. The glass is fogged up, he notices, and he runs his fingers down the glass and watches as they leave a clear trail on the surface. “Are you leaving now?” He wonders out loud, the question hanging between them. </p><p>Silence stretches behind him and Tooru feels silly. He isn’t expecting anything out of this fling, not really, but a part of him is so relieved to have found a piece of home so far away from it. </p><p>Since the first night they saw each other at the beach, Shouyou latched onto him with such an unrestrained passion and Tooru—Tooru wasn’t one to take advantage of others, but he saw an opportunity to find himself again through a different set of eyes, and he took it. It isn’t the first time he’s done this; he is well versed in the nonchalance of casual encounters with strangers.  Shouyou is not a stranger, though, and this encounter feels everything but casual—now <i>that</i> was new.</p><p>It started as playing volleyball together, then going for dinner. And on the third night, after dinner, Shouyou pulled him down and kissed him, disarming Tooru’s defences with his irresistible boyish grin. It had been easy to invite him up to his room afterwards, just because they were both free the next day, and it made sense to catch up. It was even easier to share their warmth under the thin covers in the air-conditioned room with the excuse that it was just too cold. That the AC was set at a lower temperature than he liked hadn’t been a coincidence, but Shouyou didn’t have to know that. </p><p>As his mind goes through the events of the previous night, Tooru stares at the city from the window as it slowly wakes up. He hears Shouyou shuffling around the room, probably looking for his clothes that had been sprawled all over the floor the night before. Maybe he is really leaving, and Tooru is too much of a coward to say anything or even turn around. </p><p>This is for the best, he knows. Even if his heart breaks under his false pretense of indifference, being openly vulnerable seems a hundred times more daunting. He knows very well his heart will end up broken either way.  </p><p>Hinata’s approaching footsteps pulls him out of his musings. Soft hair locks tickle Tooru in between his shoulder blades when Shouyou presses his face there. “I’m not leaving,” he murmurs. “Unless you want me to.” </p><p>And the implication almost makes Tooru’s heart explode. Shouyou is always composed while being honest, even if his honesty could be his downfall. Tooru feels like a fool for being afraid. He turns around and runs his hands up Hinata's arm, stopping at his shoulder. Filled with a bravery that surprises even himself, he says.</p><p>“Stay.”  </p><p>Hinata raises his eyebrows, his eyes impossibly big. A toothy smile begins to grow on his face, infecting Tooru with unimaginable anticipation. It’s this unspoken promise of open affection that always gets him—Tooru is unshackled on the court, but the fear of being rejected, unloved, makes him cautious to the point of cowardice, especially at this point of his life where everything is temporary. This short-lived moment makes him feel anchored somewhere. As the fleeting thought that he’s rooted in Shouyou’s heart goes through his mind, his own heart feels at peace. </p><p>Shouyou wraps his arm around Tooru’s midriff and they stay like that, looking out the window, for what seems like hours. It’s comforting and familiar. Tooru never expected to be filled to the brim with fondness for someone after just a few hours of being with them. He vaguely wondered if Hinata felt the same need for companionship, for this quiet intimacy that they were sharing now. He turns around, facing Shouyou and Shouyou looks up smiling. Tooru can’t help but smile back, it’s the first time he’s felt this quiet resonance with anyone. He’s exactly in the place where he wants to be with the person he wants to be with right now. A calmness spreads through his body and he’s thankful that Shouyou has given him something like this—a place where he can be himself and where he can escape to whenever things get hard. He brushes Shouyou’s cheek, hoping to convey his feelings without saying too much. “Thank you, Shouyou.”</p><p>Shouyou tilts his head, rubbing his face on Tooru’s hand. He pressed his own hand to Tooru’s chest, where his heart is, “I’ll stay here, always,” he says. And that’s much more than Tooru could ever ask for.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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